Tallinn (1)

Tallinn
Tallinn, the capital of the republic of Estonia, is situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, in north Estonia. It has nearly half a milion inhabitants and covers an area of almost 160 sqkm. The largest lake in Tallinn is Lake Ülemiste. It is the main source of the city's drinking water.
The first inhabitants are believed to have come here 3500 years ago.Tallinn was first mentioned in 1154 . Tallinn was founded in the 10th century as a merchants’ settlement called Lindanise. But only at the beginning of the 13th century the Danes established Reval (which was Tallinn’s name till 1918) as a fortified city. The current name Tallinn was most probably derived from the old Estonian name Taani linn (Danish town).
The square in front of the Town Hall functioned as a marketplace even before the Town Hall itself was built. The square was used for celebrations, but also for executions. The figure of an old warrior called Old Thomas was put on top of the spire of the Tallinn's Town Hall in 1530 that became the symbol for the city.
Kiek in de Kök was the most powerful cannon tower in 16th-century Northern Europe.The round cannon tower, built in the latter part of the 15th century, had a diameter of 17 meters. Its height is 38 meters and its walls are 4 meters thick. The tower was just high enough that its guards had a view into the kitchens of neighbouring buildings. There the name derives from.
During the Great Northern War the Russians invaded Reval in 1710. The port was rebuilt and the population started to grow rapidly.
In 1940 Russia occupied Estonia. After the Second World War, the small Baltic state was annexed by the huge Soviet empire. On the 20th of August 1991, Estonia finally regained independence. Since that Tallinn is again the capital of the Republic of Estonia.
The medieval centre of Tallinn is said to be the most beautiful and attractive city centre in the Baltic countries.The historic Old Town was declared the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.